The GB Rowing Team is the high performance arm of British Rowing. Rowing is the nation’s most continuously successful Olympic sport, having won a gold medal in every Olympic Games since 1984, and has won six Paralympic golds since the sport was introduced to the Paralympic Games programme in 2008.

London to Oxford in a single scull: daughter raises money for Cancer Research UK in honour of late father

Joanna Heymann will row from London to Oxford in honour of her late father Tim, who died of brain cancer in October 2016

Joanna Heymann with her late father Tim

While Oxford University will battle it out against rivals Cambridge in the Cancer Research UK Boat Race this weekend, another Oxford student is preparing for a feat of rowing endurance of her own in aid of the charity.

Joanna Heyman, 19, will row from London to Oxford to raise money in honour of her father Tim, who passed away in October 2017 from brain cancer at the age of 55.

Tim was a consultant at a hospital in South West London and also a reader in health management at Imperial College when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

“For me this challenge is about celebrating his memory and doing something that he was be immensely proud of”

He continued to work, but the location of the tumour made it impossible to operate and Tim passed away shortly after his 55th birthday.

Daughter Joanna hopes to raise £20,000 for Cancer Research UK by rowing the 100 miles from the capital to Oxford, against the current in a single scull.

“For me this challenge is about celebrating his memory and doing something that he was be immensely proud of,” she said. “I want other families not to have to suffer the way we did and to prevent the suffering that I saw my dad go through, brave right until the end.

“We were told shortly after he was diagnosed that they believe research to be on the verge of a breakthrough. I believe the money that I’m raising could have a large impact.”

Cancer Research UK’s groundbreaking work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has seen UK survival rates double in the last 40 years.

British Rowing is encouraging the rowing community to join in and raise money to help support Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.

Joanna will depart Putney Bridge on Friday, 27 April and hopes to reach Boathouse Island in Oxford by the evening of Sunday, 29 April.